or Annapolis, there to engage in a gridiron contest, has had an
experience that he will always cherish. Every team, as a rule, looks
forward to out of town trips, but when an eleven is to play the Army or
the Navy, not a little of the pleasure lies in anticipation.

Mayhap the visitor even now is recalling the officer who met him at the
station, and his hospitable welcome; the thrill that resulted from a
tour, under such pleasant auspices, of the buildings and the natural
surroundings of the two great academies. There was the historic campus,
where so many great Army and Navy men spent their preparatory days. An
inspiration unique in the experience of the visitor was to be found in
the drill of the battalion as they marched past, led by the famous
academy bands.

There arose in the heart of the stranger perhaps, the thought that he
was not giving to his country as much as these young men. Such is the
contagion of the spirit of the two institutions. There is always the
thrill of the military whether the cadets and midshipmen pass to the
urge of martial music in their purely military duties, or in equally
perfect order to the ordinary functions of life, such as the daily
meals, which in the colleges are so informal and in the mess hall are so
precise. Joining their orderly ranks in this big dining-room one comes
upon a scene never to be forgotten.

In the process of developing college teams, an eleven gets a real test
at either of these academies; you get what you go after; they are out to
beat you; their spirit is an indomitable one; your cherished idea that
you cannot be beaten never occurs to them until the final whistle is
blown. Your men will realize after the game that a bruised leg or a lame
joint will recall hard tackling of a player like Mustin of the Navy, or